Cincinnati Bengals select Michigan defensive back Daxton Hill in 2022 NFL Draft

Michigan defensive back Daxton Hill made quite an impact for the Wolverines defense in 2021. Now, he’ll try to do the same in the NFL.

The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Hill No. 31 overall in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft on Thursday. He had a big 2021 season to help Michigan to the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.

Hill had 69 total tackles, including 42 solo stops, and two interceptions for the Wolverines in 2021. He was an integral part of the Wolverines secondary, earning All-Big Ten honors, including a first-team nomination from league coaches. Now, he’ll take his talents to the NFL.

Out of high school, Hill was a five-star recruit and the No. 8 prospect in the country from the Class of 2019, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Daxton Hill

NFL Draft analysts weighed in about Hill’s draft stock and what he can bring to the league throughout the pre-draft process. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein offered his thoughts, and he thinks “premium athletic traits” can help Hill succeed in the pros.

“Hybrid safety/nickel with an outstanding blend of speed, explosiveness and coverage versatility,” Zierlein wrote. “Hill is a smooth, twitchy athlete who is unencumbered in his coverage movements. He’s rangy playing over the top, has the eyes and burst to play zone, and the oily hips and length to shade bigger slots in man coverage.

“He can trigger quickly downhill to cut off angles in run support but his play demeanor is more run-and-cover than run-and-hit near the line. Hill has premium athletic traits, enticing coverage talent and the ability to make plays on the ball from anywhere he is aligned. He’s sure to be a coveted target for defenses trapped in pass-happy divisions.”